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Спокойной ночи: Good night

Будем надеяться: Let's hope

Yelena found herself falling into a routine over the following week. She would wake with one of the worst neck cramps she could imagine, wait until Bucky had finished washing up, take her own shower and get ready for the day, and within the hour they would both be off in search of breakfast, much to Fanny's utter dismay.

The rest of their days were usually spent mulling over what they could learn about the upcoming lead Sam had picked up on. Going off what they had known about the previous group they had dealt with, the infamous Flag Smashers, the group had pieced together what they could with the little information they had from Valentina and the previous Captain America. There was certainly a high chance the serum was, or soon going to be, in play again.

Their targets for said serums seemed to be connected to enhanced individuals, both physically or mentally. In the category of Walker, it came down to both. Yelena, on the other hand, had been the one to decipher quite early on that she had a target on her back strictly for her years worth of Widow training. Someone like her, especially under the influence of Valentina or whoever her superiors were, was only going to end in a bloodshed she didn't know if she was prepared to face.

Even as the days wore on, the nights seemed longer and longer, each one keeping her from a decent night's sleep. Yelena had refrained from mentioning her last phone call to her partners, and while she took note that Sam was willing to brush her composure aside after coming out of the bathroom, at least for now, Bucky seemed less inclined to do so.

Thus where she found herself one evening, curled up on the couch with Fanny's head in her lap. Her fingers mindlessly wandered over the pup's back as she tried to focus on the latest episode of her true crime show she had failed to catch up on back in Budapest. Her mind wasn't so cooperative.

It wandered to Sam having had recently reached out to a friend he had been in close contact with for a while, back even when S.H.I.E.L.D. was still operational. He had mentioned that Agent Hill had managed to trace back suspicious shipments to and from an abandoned warehouse district to the north in Maine, a lot of which consisted of laboratory parts and equipment. It was the best they had, and it wasn't a lead they were about to pass up so quickly.

She wasn't per-say nervous about it, moreover she wasn't thrilled to be hopping into another flying metal can so soon, especially due to leave the following afternoon.

Fanny shifted against her legs, nuzzling her nose against her thigh before flopping back down with a sigh. Her ears perked up at the sound of the bedroom door opening behind them, but Yelena didn't turn to look at her partner as he made his way back down the hall and into the kitchen.

Her eyes stayed trained on the TV as she heard him opening and closing the cabinets along with the clink of a few glasses. She couldn't help but sigh as she ran her hand over Fanny's back again and closed her eyes for a moment, waiting to open them again until she heard Bucky stop in front of her.

Yelena glanced down as he ran a hand over Fanny's head, her tail swaying from side to side as he sank down to the floor with his elbows propped up on his knees in front of them and released a sigh.

In nothing but a t-shirt and jeans, and his ever present dog tags that hung around his neck, her eyes followed the patterns up his metal arm before disappearing underneath his shirt. Whoever had designed it really wasn't messing around when it came to the intricacy and technology of it, and a small part of her was tempted to ask.

But with his back towards the TV, she waited for him to say something first, seeing as she had picked up rather quickly he broke the drinks out when something was on his mind.

Bucky took a second to unscrew the cap over the bottle of vodka he had brought over, and after pouring them each a small glass, he extended one out to her and dropped his arm back to his knee. Yelena took a small gulp and held back a relieved groan. She never got old of the flavor or sting, and she was more than happy her partner had let her buy a few bottles to keep at the apartment.

She was a little surprised when he didn't say anything right away, but one glance down and she couldn't tell what was going through that cyborg-brain of his. He had up the mask that it seemed only he could perfect, and she felt that creeping sense of annoyance again for that tiny fact; she was trained from the time she was six to become one of the most advanced spies of the century, and the ex-Winter Soldier was a case she had yet to crack.

"Your super soldier brain is going to work again," Yelena muttered, picking up the remote from the side table and muting the TV. "I can see the gears turning from up here."

"It's computing, actually," he replied. Bucky slowly took a sip of his drink and finally met Yelena's gaze again. "About when you came back out at the diner."

She slowly lowered her glass that was half-way towards her lips. Her hand was tempted to grab the corner of the blanket to roll between her fingers, but Yelena kept her hands steady and her face solemn with no emotion to slip through. All over again, she suddenly felt like she had thrown up her own wall in the course of a few seconds; having already made peace with her partner, it didn't feel quite right.

"What about it?" she asked. Yelena mentally scolded herself for the stupid question.

"You didn't seem like yourself," he continued, a small crease forming between his brows. "I just didn't know if something had come up at all."

For a moment, Yelena had to refrain from letting her momentary surprise show. She had considered the fact that, despite knowing both of her partners had noticed her appearance after her call with Valentina, they would brush it away like so many other people had done before. In all fairness, said people hadn't been the most impressive life role models.

Nonetheless, it took her off guard that he had brought the topic up again in the first place. As she stared back down at Bucky, she finally took in his easy posture that tensed at the shoulders, and the small tick in his jaw when she realized she had taken too long to answer. Yelena let her mind wander to the possibility that, aside from her physical well-being, their partnership was also him looking out for her regardless of the situation.

Her partnership with Natasha was a simple explanation - they were sisters not by blood, but by choice and by the bond that they had created.

With Bucky, it suddenly felt different - despite her being useful to their investigation into Valentina's plans, he didn't have a need to look out for her in their free time. The prospect that he was was almost confusing, and like she had experienced so many times with adapting to her team from the start, an odd sort of comfort.

"It was just another phone call," Yelena finally shrugged. "There's nothing to worry about."

"You say that after you came out of the bathroom crying," Bucky replied, his eyes barely narrowing.

"I wasn't crying," she huffed. "Even if I had been, and that's a strong 'if', why would it matter?"

"It matters that something clearly upset you and I'm asking why," he pressed. Yelena didn't try to hide it as she narrowed her eyes on him, but Bucky didn't do anything other than raise a brow in her direction.

"I told you already that she seems like the fun type," she hissed, almost unsure as to why she sounded angry. If Bucky noticed, he didn't comment as he waited for her to continue. "She's also one of the relentless ones, so we can check that off the list too."

Yelena glanced away at her quick outburst, even though she hadn't even raised her voice. Even so, the silence that followed for a few seconds seemed almost deafening. She for one much preferred the comfortable silence that usually laid between them, and it left an unsettling feeling in her stomach when it became this tense with her partner.

"Valentina called again?"

"Yes, I just said that."

"She knows that you're with us then?"

"I'm guessing she had operatives back in Budapest, maybe someone tracking the safe house there, too. But to answer your question, yes, she knows I'm with the new man in stars and stripes and the super-staring-soldier."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Bucky muttered, his voice dropping down an octave. It was the dangerous and almost mysterious rasp with it that had her glancing back at him, to which she found his eyes hadn't strayed from her face and she could tell his hand was clenched tightly over his metal one.

"There wasn't much to tell," Yelena replied quietly. "I didn't get anything else on a potential lead, and the only thing remotely important was that she knew I had left Budapest with you and Sam. Unless she plans a midday attack on Brooklyn with a group of super-soldiers, I doubt we'll have anything to worry about."

"But she still talked to you?"

"She just said the same thing as always - just another job offer to get back into the life of a Widow."

"That doesn't change the fact that after two weeks she's decided to suddenly call you up on her offer again once she found out you had left the country," Bucky grumbled. This was bothering him to an extent she truly didn't understand. "The target on your back hasn't gotten any smaller, and with no way to know much more about who she's been recruiting lately, that means - "

"That means we'll have the opportunity tomorrow," Yelena cut in. "We'll follow Sam's lead and see where it gets us. But I'm telling you now that that phone call had nothing to do with it!"

At her sudden defensiveness of it, she knew she had said the wrong thing. Bucky's jaw snapped shut from what he was going to say next, and she could practically see the cogs in his head turning again. Not wanting to see his expression when he finally came to his own conclusion, Yelena glanced away again, this time down at Fanny who had even gone silent throughout the exchange.

She felt a small wave of relief upon seeing that the pup had just fallen asleep.

"Yelena."

Bucky's voice was softer, but still held a slight accusation on its edge. This time, she waited for him to say what he thought needed to be said as she kept her eyes trained on the floor rather than on him.

"I can tell there's more you aren't telling me," he continued. "I just want to know why."

Her mind tugged back and forth on its morals, reaching back into the ones that had been ingrained into her mind from the time she was a child to the ones she was now adapting to in the life of having a partner and a team.

She had already opened up back on the plane of her life in the Red Room, the fake stage her family had set to appear as any average American household, but there always seemed to be something there that stopped her short at the mention of her sister. She wasn't sure if it was just for the fact that it was someone that had probably known her personally at one point, or more so the tightening in her chest that just wouldn't go away at the memory of Natasha.

"If she said something to you, Yelena, if she tried to threat - "

"She didn't threaten me," Yelena interrupted. "She didn't say anything that told me she knew where we were laying low."

"Then I don't think the only thing she tried to do was get you back." Bucky took a moment to pause, letting his words sink in. She could tell he knew from the start that something was off about her story, coming out after a phone call with Valentina in near tears again. She was a Widow for God's sake, and a damn good one at that. Or she had been.

And he so happened to be a Winter Soldier with over eighty years worth of experience of detecting lies from a mile away behind him.

"You know you can talk to me if you want," he muttered. "That's what partners are there for."

"I know that."

"Do you?"

What a question.

The tightness in her chest remained as she took a deep breath, timing it to match Fanny's breathing. Yelena wanted to look away from those blue eyes, curse them to the coldest regions of Russia and back, but at the suddenly patient expression that overtook the momentary frustration, a part of her wanted to believe if she spilled everything about Natasha right then and there, nothing would have changed between them.

"Valentina knew," Yelena started quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "She knew about Natasha."

Once again, Bucky's face didn't convey much emotion, but she didn't miss the way his eyes widened ever so lightly. He didn't say anything and instead nodded for her to continue, shifting his legs beneath him as if to ready himself for a long and grueling conversation.

She almost had a feeling it was going to be.

Yelena cleared her throat and tucked her feet beneath her legs, curling herself into Fanny's warmth. "After I turned her down again, she mentioned something about the hero's life not being for everyone. But she still thought that…that Natasha would be proud knowing I was taking up the same path she was. Maybe try to finally wipe some of the red from my ledger."

She took a moment to pause and watched as Bucky's eyes fixed themself on the edge of the couch. "She just told me to keep a lookout for her calls, the same as usual - and that was it. That's all she said."

"Was that all she needed to say?" Bucky asked. Yelena didn't miss the flicker of a wince across his face like he immediately wanted to take back his words. Instead, she drove them into her head, mulling them over as he glanced back up at her.

She wondered if she was supposed to feel angry, or frustrated, or annoyed, or something towards him for having pointed out a flaw she had so desperately tried to push back down. But the question lingered behind as Natasha's memory came flooding back, and the sting in her chest tightened.

"Natasha knew what she was doing when she came out here to turn her life around. My sister tried to leave her past behind her and became an Avenger," Yelena murmured. "Always out there and always ready to be the hero that could save the world. And in the end, she did. She did save the world…."

She could feel the lump clawing its way up her throat, and she had to audibly swallow to push it back down. "And for the price of it, it cost her everything."

Yelena mentally berated herself as she tried to keep her composure under control. Her eyes burned as she felt the corners of her vision fill with tears, and she curled her hands into the back of Fanny's fur enough that the back of her knuckles began to turn white.

She could feel years of keeping her emotions under check and under control slipping down the drain as the thought of her fallen sister became all the more overwhelming, and having her partner watching her through it all wasn't helping much.

"I met Natasha a few times," Bucky finally muttered. Yelena's brows drew together at the sudden bit of information, and if not for only a moment, it distracted her from the burning sensation in her throat. "I can't say under the best circumstances, but she never backed down from a fight."

"That's a simple way to put it," Yelena scoffed under her breath.

"I think she must have picked that stubbornness up somewhere," he remarked quietly. "Maybe it runs in the sisterly genes?"

She shot him a look that could have burnt a hole in the middle of his head, but the ghost of a smile was there and gone in the blink of an eye. His eyes flickered away for a brief moment before locking in on her again; it was near shocking how she felt like she almost couldn't look away.

"I could have done something," Yelena whispered, her voice cracking on the last word. "It shouldn't have gone this way…if I had been there I could have stopped it. I - I could have saved her."

"I know how losing someone you consider family feels," Bucky intervened, his previous playful tone gone. "It honestly feels like one of the hardest things you could go through. But if I can tell you anything about this, Yelena - it's don't do this to yourself."

Her brows furrowed but he pushed forward. "Don't try to blame yourself for the choice that she made. She was your sister, and she made it to keep you safe. Because she cared about you more than anything. She wouldn't want you to beat yourself up like this thinking that you could have done something to stop her."

She didn't respond right away, letting his words sink in as she glanced down at the still snoozing pup on her lap. Yelena was glad her face was turned away from him as she felt a tear slip down her cheek.

"I told you I didn't know Natasha super well, but knowing that you do, do you think she would have made the same choice if you were there if it meant keeping you safe?"

It was an obvious question that she had played the answer to over and over again. Even if she had been there when her sister had sacrificed herself for the world, she knew better than anyone that her sister had a stubborn gene that ran deep, and if it meant Yelena would have been able to see another sunrise, Natasha would have wanted to go first. It was a flaw she admired and hated; the selflessness to put herself in harm's way first before others, but at the cost of her own life.

She would have killed in that moment to have been able to have had the argument with Natasha then and there.

"She would have stuck with her choice," Yelena mumbled, her voice coming out quiet but steady. "Whether I had been there to stop it or not."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bucky give a solemn nod. Picking up his drink, he threw the rest of it back and set the empty glass beside him on the floor. Yelena followed suit, reveling in the way the vodka seemed to ease her muscles back. Nonetheless, the burning sensation behind her eyes hadn't fully ceased, and she swiped a quick hand across her cheek leaving a watery trail in its wake.

Pressing her fingertips together, she allowed the silence to stretch between them, only broken by Fanny's occasional snore. When Bucky glanced towards the hall again, almost in a silent question if she wanted to be left alone, the words had left her mouth before she had even processed them. "What were the circumstances?"

"What?"

"The circumstances," Yelena said again, glancing in his direction enough that she was able to cover her tear-stained cheeks. "You mentioned something about having met my sister a few times. What were the circumstances?"

"You really don't wanna know," Bucky snorted, cocking his head to the side. "The first time I saw her I actually shot out her tires while she was helping an engineer out of Iran near Odessa. It kind of…well, sent them over a cliff."

"And then?" she prodded.

"She was trying to cover him and since my assignment was to take him out instead of Natasha, it sort of ended with me having to shoot him straight through her."

Yelena cocked an eyebrow at him. "So that's where she got that scar from…."

"Like I said, under certain circumstances," he sighed, leaning his head back to look at the ceiling.

"You seem to have a knack for going after the Widows," Yelena chuckled softly. "What's with that grudge?"

Bucky's lips twitched upwards in a small grin, and while she tried to keep her eyes trained solely on the blue depths of his eyes, the easy smile that was sometimes a rarity on him seemed to draw her eyes down towards his lips. Biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from doing anything else stupid, Yelena paused as Fanny shifted on her legs with a wide yawn, her beady eyes squinting open as she raised her head to look at Bucky.

The conversation hadn't been a long one, and frankly only scratched the surface on what she kept to herself in regards to her sister. Still, a warm feeling overtook her as she thought back to the last time she had opened up to anyone about her sister, and even then, it wasn't so much opening up as it was meeting with a few ex-Widows on her mission to free the rest of them.

With Bucky, it had felt almost natural to just sit down and talk. She wondered if he had a bit of experience with knowing how to talk out things like that, or more importantly, how to listen to them. By what she knew from what little she could scratch up on on the Winter Soldier program, and having fought and seen Bucky in action before, she figured he had scheduled a few appointments with a therapist - whether they were his choice or not was a different question that could wait for another night.

Yelena suddenly caught herself on her train of thought as she expected there to be another night.

Like many things she had already experienced in her partnership, it was a different yet comforting idea all the same.

"You sure you're still okay on the couch?" Bucky checked as he pushed himself to his feet and grabbed both of their glasses. "If you want the bed before the plane ride tomorrow, I'm fine with - "

"Barnes," she interrupted, shooting him a look. "I have no problem on the couch."

"Alright," he shrugged, not seeming quite convinced.

She tracked his movements as he cleaned up their area from their evening drinks throughout the kitchen, and when he finally came to stand in the hallway, she matched his gaze as his eyes traced something down the side of her face.

Right. In the light of the TV, she had no doubt he could see the reminisce of the tears still lingering on her cheeks. She kept her expression still as he gave her a final nod.

"Let me know if you need anything," Bucky said, waiting until she nodded at him in return to turn back towards his bedroom. Yelena waited until she heard the door shut firmly behind him before releasing a slow breath.

Eyes straying back towards the TV, Yelena reached over to the side table and clicked the power button, suddenly basking the apartment in darkness. Fanny didn't seem to mind as she released another wide yawn and clambered down from the couch, eager to get back to her own little nest after having gotten her nightly attention.

"Спокойной ночи," she mumbled out to an empty space. Yelena honestly wasn't even sure who it was for: the pup laid snugly in a pile of blankets, the sister watching over her probably wondering what the hell she was doing, or the partner down the hall who wasn't supposed to take the weight from her chest.

It was deja-vu all over again as Yelena trudged up the ramp of the cargo plane. Relief washed over her as she took in the metal canister's interior, of which consisted of seats lining the walls instead of suspended cots. It was a small victory that she figured was about to save her a month's worth of back cramps.

Heading a bit farther towards the front of the plane, she threw her bag to the floor and plopped down into one of the seats with a sigh. Leaning her head back against the wall, she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, listening to the bustling work to and fro from outside in the hangar.

It wasn't long before a few familiar voices and footsteps made their way up the ramp. Peering through one of her eyes, she glanced to the side to see both of her partners trailing in her wake, still accompanied by Torres.

And one look at them told her that her current wardrobe state was laughable.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know I was supposed to dress for the occasion," Yelena exclaimed, gesturing with her hand towards Sam and Bucky.

While the super soldier had settled for his classic almost all black ensemble, accompanied by the still missing left sleeve of his leather jacket, she was a little surprised to see Sam in the basics of his new uniform, winged backpack and all. And, of course, the newly acquainted shield she could make out strapped to his back.

She, on the other hand, had worn something she would have been comfortable going out for a run in - again, near laughably underdressed.

"I'd need a few hours, but I could have sworn I packed my evening gown," she continued with a chuckle. Sam joined her, and she didn't miss the small grin that poked the corner of Bucky's mouth upward.

"Afraid we don't have that much time," Torres exclaimed, flipping through a few papers in his hand. "It'll be less than a two hour flight, and by then they'll have everything ready for you once you land in Maine. There should be a transport waiting for you, and your next flight will be due back later tonight."

"Thanks for doing this on such short notice again," Sam replied. "We really appreciate it, man."

"Eh, I didn't have any other plans for today," Torres chuckled. "You know, nothing better to do than pilot for Captain America. Maybe I could even get his autograph?"

"Oh, don't start," Sam scoffed, but Yelena didn't miss the smile that crept up. "I think I'll fly up and get Steve off the moon first."

"Roger that," Torres replied, giving him a small salute as he made his way up towards the cockpit. Turning to look over his shoulder, he called, "Oh, and take off in ten!"

He gave Yelena a curt nod as he passed her, and within seconds of his leave, the ramp of the plane released a shriek as it began it's close and secured itself shut with a hiss.

"Autographs, really?" she smirked. Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head as he took a seat across from her, placing the duffle bag he had been carrying beside him.

"Hard pass," he muttered. Yelena chuckled and waited for him to continue as he rummaged through his bag and pulled out a small case. Flipping it open, she immediately recognized the small devices as he plucked one out and secured it around his ear. "In case we need to split up. I'm honestly not sure what we're going to be walking into."

"Fair enough," Yelena replied. Reaching forward, she grabbed an ear com and fastened it around the back of her ear, throwing Sam a thumbs up when he asked if it would work. "At least one of us came prepared."

"About that…." Sam's voice trailed off as he zipped the duffle bag shut again and threw it across to her. Yelena caught it with ease, but was momentarily caught off guard by the extra weight. As her brows drew together in a frown, Sam shrugged and his eyes flickered towards her other partner. "Thought it might be a nice addition."

Drawing back the zipper, Yelena froze at the contents inside. Staring back up at her was a neatly folded, white jumpsuit, completed with an array of padding, a weapons belt with enough spots to hold her entire armory from Budapest, and a pair of matching white combat boots. The sudden lurch of the plane as it began its retreat from the hangar wasn't the only feeling of deja-vu that washed over her again.

She still had her old one, stashed away in one of her closets back in the Budapest safe house. Yelena couldn't bring herself to get rid of it, especially after having found out the fate that Natasha met after returning from the blip. It held onto too many memories for her to recall at the moment as her mind tried to reel her back into the present. But all she could recount were the memories of her and her sister, facing the enemy they had endured since birth and against every odd imaginable.

But they did it. They did it together.

"Definitely a nice addition," Yelena managed to say, rising to her feet a little too quickly. She forgot that they were still on a plane, and her hand shot out towards the wall to steady herself as it took a rather wide turn. "We'll see if it actually fits."

Glancing out one of the small, circular windows, she made sure there weren't any upcoming turns before making a bee-line for the bathroom. Stationed in a small corner, Yelena mentally prepared herself for the tight squeeze and the "pain-in-the-ass" given changing space. She pulled the door open and just as quickly slammed it shut behind her, securing the lock in place as she held back a frustrated groan.

There was barely enough room for her to step to the side, much less change into a full-fledged jumpsuit. Nonetheless, she shed her jacket, shirt, trousers, and boots in the dim lighting, the wall quickly becoming a high advantage as the plane continued its route to the runway. She wasn't sure yet if she would have preferred it in the air already or not.

Now in nothing but her under garments, Yelena hoisted the duffle bag onto the smallest sink she could imagine and zipped it fully open. Delicately pulling it out, she let it fall out to its full height as the tightening in her chest slowly started to make its appearance.

Flashes of a snowy prison break and falling from the sky sped across her mind as she ran through everything she had done in a suit so similar to the one she was looking at. Breaking a "famed" super soldier out of prison, sitting down to a dinner with a family that seemed far past the point of broken, taking down a decades old organization that freed the lives of hundreds of girls fed into a life that wasn't their choice. All beside the people she learned to care for most.

Melina had worn the other matching set in their departure from what remained of Dreykov's failure, but in the time that Natasha had, it was a brief time that Yelena had a moment that felt like they were truly sisters, taking on the impossible mission that countless others may have thought to try but didn't.

Don't try to blame yourself for the choice that she made. She was your sister, and she made it to keep you safe.

Because she cared about you.

Yelena repeated Bucky's words over in her head as she thought of the fiery red. What she had said about becoming an Avenger, about learning to trust them as her own family. And becoming the hero that saved the world.

Now, it was time to pay her back.

With more difficulty than she cared to admit, Yelena unzipped the suit down to stomach level and slipped her legs in. Arms bumping into the sides of the bathroom walls every few seconds, and with more than enough muttered curses, she managed to pull the suit up enough she could squeeze her arm through one of the sleeves.

After a little more squirming to get her other arm in, and a few well thought over adjustments as to how she was going to get in the rest of the way, she zipped the front of the suit back over her chest, leaving it open enough to allow her to breathe. For what it was worth, either her partners had a keen eye on sizing or they were incredibly lucky at guessing; the suit was certainly tight, but a near perfect fit.

Releasing a slow breath, Yelena finished off the rest of her ensemble by securing the black belt across her waist and lacing up her new boots. She rose back to her full height as she glanced down at the uniform. Flattery wasn't something that really spoke to her, but even she couldn't deny that white certainly wasn't a bad color on her.

The plane took another wide turn as Yelena made a move to pick up her discarded clothes. Stuffing them into the duffle bag for the time being, she unlocked the door and pushed it open with her foot, catching it just in time before it slammed shut behind her.

She took a deep breath before rounding the corner back into the main area, unsure as to why her stomach felt a little funny. Blaming it on the notion of flying again, Yelena quickly brushed it aside.

Bucky had taken a seat near Sam and the two seemed lost in conversation. Not wanting to just stand there awkwardly until one of them noticed, she quietly cleared her throat.

"It seems like it's a good fit."

Sam leaned forward and Bucky's head swiveled in her direction. She was determined to keep a cool composure as she made her way back to her seat.

"Sorry it isn't an evening gown, but do you think it'll do?" Sam asked, lifting a brow in her direction when she sank back into her seat.

"I suppose," she mumbled, sighing in mock exasperation as a smirk tilted her lips up to mimic his.

Before she could stop herself, Yelena felt her eyes straying towards her other partner who had remained silent. Bucky's eyes locked on hers, and as per usual, the bionic-staring machine held her gaze until she finally blinked. He didn't make any comment on her suit or the "new look", and for that she was mildly grateful and disappointed.

But as she averted her gaze from his and looked out the window opposite of her, Yelena couldn't help but notice the pink tint that had overtaken his ears. The funny feeling in her stomach quickened at the thought of it, but she again blamed it on the sudden turn the plane took again.

Truly, the roads to the runway were a literal maze.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bucky shifted in his seat and released a sigh. Following the events of last night, nothing had seemed to change between them - other than his persistence that he could take the couch if she was getting tired of it. All in all, a part of her had wondered if there was going to be something different now in their partnership because of their little talk, whether that meant him distancing himself from her or just brushing it off like nothing had happened.

It was necessarily the latter. Bucky hadn't brought it up again that morning, and she was honestly thankful he avoided it. Nonetheless, she had a small feeling in her that if he ever found her worrying over Natasha the way she had last night again, he wasn't about to let her off the hook so easily.

She could dare say the interaction had made things almost better between them. The idea certainly wasn't a bad one.

"So," she exclaimed, bringing herself out of her own thoughts. "Do we have a plan?"

"Since Hill was able to track some of their shipments, our first stop is going to be where they're supposedly headed," Sam replied. "The warehouses there aren't supposed to be in use, or haven't been for the past fifty years. Seems a little off that it's suddenly being used as a receiving shipment line for lab equipment."

"And Agent Hill was the one to pick up on this?" Yelena asked. As she said it, she grabbed her backpack and pulled it to her side. "She had liable information?"

"She was one of the best in her field when S.H.I.E.L.D. was still running, and outside of that she was still an amazing agent," he assured. "She's honestly one of the people I trust to get us the best information that she can."

"I understand," she nodded. "But you have to keep in mind that this isn't an ordinary group of people you're going up against, just like the Flag Smashers. I'm just keeping an open mind to the possibility that this might lead us on a wild chase, or it could just be a way to get us all in the same place."

Rolling her eyes when she caught sight of Bucky lifting a slightly amused brow at her, she added, "That wasn't meant to rhyme."

"We've already got back-up on the line in case anything goes really south," Sam insisted. "If this is meant to be a planned leak, we'll be ready for it."

Yelena didn't argue, but something in her gut wasn't set that they wouldn't run into trouble. It seemed all too convenient all too quickly that a week after Valentina had reached out, they were able to track down a potential safe house for her operatives; more specifically, their operations.

Pulling her backpack into her lap, Yelena dug through its contents as she muttered, "Будем надеяться."

One by one, she set aside the weapons she had stashed back in Budapest. Her pistol was the first on her belt holster, quickly followed by a select few throwing knives that certainly hadn't done good in the past but had saved her skin. She didn't know if she was guilty or annoyed at the sudden wish for her beloved batons as she checked her bag again out of mere habit.

As always, her Widow bites were the last to go on. She didn't like to admit that their familiar weight brought her a sense of comfort - especially seeing as she had used them before on the super-soldier sitting across from her. Clicking them into place, she rolled out her wrists and ran her fingers along the stingers, the shock waves just waiting to be released. On the right people, of course.

Around her, Yelena suddenly felt the plane pick up its speed, and her hands self-consciously gripped the underside of her seat. Outside, the world began passing by in a blur, and it wasn't long before the world began sinking lower and lower beneath her. They ascended into a gray sky, both of her partners remaining silent as the flying can rattled her stomach.

Yelena couldn't help but wonder if they were used to this by now - even if it was by the mere irony of the situation.

Three partners, each having been on the run, following a lead that could very well go nowhere, or end up throwing them into the depths of hell.

But weren't those the bits and pieces in life she was meant to enjoy to the fullest?

She barely contained a snort as she shoved her backpack to the side and leaned her head back against the plane's interior. An Avenger, a super-soldier, and now, a White Widow.

Oh, what a pair could be.

Hey readers!

Wow, so it's been a little while, but the long awaited update has been made! I really hope you guys enjoyed, and be sure to keep a look out for the next chapter soon to be released! My schedule lately has been a mess with recently recovering from studying for finals and getting some time to myself after family Christmases, so we've been a bit of everywhere. Nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoyed, and be sure to check in again soon!

***I would like to point out and make it clear that I am not Russian, I have not studied the language, and if I misused a word, phrase, or anything like that when using it in my story, I sincerely apologize!***

And, as always, I hope y'all have an incredible morning, afternoon, evening, or night!

-Summerwinds

P.S. I know it's a little late, but I hope everyone had a happy holidays!